It is common practice to provide disengageable connections by means of a terminal tab on the one of the conductors and a terminal receptacle on the other conductor. Terminal tabs used in this type of disengageable connections are relatively simple flat stamped rectangular members of relatively thick stock metal, in the range of about 0.51 mm to about 0.81 mm. The receptacles used with tabs of this type are stamped and formed sheet metal members having a web and curled sidewalls, the edges of which are opposed to the web. Upon coupling the terminals the tab is received between the edges of the sidewalls and the surface of the web. Electrical connections of this type are of high quality and, depending upon the dimensions of the terminals, are capable of carrying a relatively high amperage. The force required to couple the receptacle to the tab is relatively high and this fact contributes to the high quality of the electrical connection.
Terminal tabs and receptacles of the type described above are used usually when it is desired to connect two wires to each other or to connect a wire to an electrical device such as an electrical timer. In the latter case, the tab is mounted on the electrical device and the mounting of the tab must be capable of withstanding the relatively high forces imposed when a receptacle is coupled to the tab.
Tab-type terminals are used to a limited extent on circuit boards and there are known types of terminal tabs which can be mounted on the circuit board and soldered to conductors on the board. The available tabs intended for circuit board mounting occupy an unduly large area on the circuit board and they do not secure the terminal to the circuit board with sufficient firmness. One type of terminal tab intended for circuit board mounting has a rolled cylindrical mounting portion which is inserted into a circuit board hole and another type has spaced apart mounting legs which extend from an enlarged base that rests upon the surface of the circuit board. The latter type, having the flat base, is objectionable under some circumstances because of the fact that it occupies a relatively large area on the surface of the circuit board, a condition which is intolerable if the circuit board is crowded with components.
The present invention is directed to the achievement of an improved terminal tab intended for circuit board mounting which can be manufactured by simple stamping methods, which occupies a minimum amount of surface area on the circuit board, and which can be clinched or staked to the circuit board in a manner such that it is rigidly and securely held thereon so that it is capable of withstanding stresses imposed when a receptacle is coupled thereto.
A tab-type terminal in accordance with the invention is of the general type comprising a flat rectangular tab having a free end and a mounting end, the mounting end having means for mounting the terminal on a circuit board. The tab has oppositely facing parallel major surfaces and oppositely facing parallel edge surfaces extending from the free end to the mounting end. A terminal in accordance with the invention is particularly characterized in that the mounting end comprises a base portion having oppositely facing major surfaces which are co-planar with the major surfaces of the tab. The base portion extends laterally beyond the edge surfaces of the tab whereby stop shoulders are provided which are directed towards the free end of the tab, these stop shoulders serving to limit the movement of a receptacle when it is coupled to the tab. A mounting leg extends from the base portion and is located between the side edges of the base portion. The mounting leg has convergent side edges and a slot therein between the side edges which extends towards the base portion and divides the mounting leg into two side-by-side co-planar sections. A pair of stabilizing arms extend in opposite directions from the base portion normally of the planes of the major surfaces of the base portion, the stabilizing arms having co-planar support surfaces for stabilizing the terminal on the surface of the circuit board.
In accordance with a further embodiment the mounting leg is integral with a carrier strip having a plurality of identical tab-type terminals extending therefrom at spaced intervals and the mounting leg is located centrally between the stabilizing arms.